Jiang Ming broke out in a cold sweat at the thought. Based on his current reality and the contents of the book, this hypothesis was not just a mere possibility. One could even say it was dangerously close to the absolute truth!
In that case, he could not afford to keep this dog around any longer!
Murderous intent flared within Jiang Ming's heart!
However, how exactly was he supposed to kill this canine?
According to the diary, the rule sets, and the dog's behaviour over the past two days, the animal undeniably acted as a guardian deity. However, that did not conflict with its underlying desire to transform into a human.
Unfortunately, there was a specific rule forbidding him from harming it. If he injured the creature, it might not undergo a slow transformation; instead, it could instantly mutate and slaughter him.
How could he execute the beast without violating the rules?
He needed to borrow an external force. Yet, within this Rule-Based Anomaly, what external force could he possibly rely on?
Almost instantaneously, the image of a slightly imposing middle-aged man surfaced in his mind: Uncle Li. Specifically, the real Uncle Li who had a penchant for eating dog meat!
A piercing light flashed through Jiang Ming's eyes.
It made perfect sense. A promise made was a debt unpaid, and it was high time he repaid Uncle Li with that promised dog meat!
It would not be right now, however. The risk of stepping outside was too steep. Perhaps that so-called ‘Mother' was currently squatting in the corridor. He would wait until the real Uncle Li knocked on the door tomorrow morning. That would be the exact moment to claim this mutt's life!
With his scheme set in stone, Jiang Ming prepared to continue reading. Suddenly, a bizarre sensation washed over him. It felt as if time and space had been completely fractured.
Suppressing his discomfort, he searched for the source of this eerie feeling. A moment later, his head snapped up. He stared at the clock on the bedroom wall, which pointed to 4:30 PM.
A profound sense of dissonance struck him. Jiang Ming remembered one of the dictates from the rule sets: maintain consistent time.
He threw open the bedroom door and glanced at the living room clock. It read 3:45 PM.
Something was definitely wrong with the temporal flow, but what did this signify?
Deep in thought, Jiang Ming pulled open a drawer and retrieved the clock he had borrowed from his neighbour. Its hands clearly pointed to 3:45 PM.
It was in perfect synchronisation with the living room, not a single second off. Jiang Ming took down the bedroom clock and adjusted its hands to match the other two.
Tick!
As all three chronometers synchronised, that fractured dissonance completely vanished.
He hung the clock back on the wall. After pondering for a moment, he shook his head and reopened the black diary.
Day Five
So sleepy. So tired. What is going on?
Forget it, I will go find Little Black. Huh? How did Little Black get so tall? Oh, right, I think he has always been this tall.
Little Black is so nice. He gave me so many snacks and even put them in a bowl for me. Now I do not even need to use my hands to eat, hehe.
…
So sleepy. Forget it, I will just take a nap.
Sleeping feels so good! Wait, what time is it? What day is it?
Never mind, I do not care. Little Black came to give me more snacks.
I am full, but why is Little Black not playing with me today? Sigh, why did he go to sleep?
So boring. Look what I found!
What is this slimy thing? It looks like a rope, but why does it have eyes on it? Haha, so fun!
…
How come I never noticed there were so many fun things in the house before? There are slimy ropes, squishy giant white bugs, and massive red eyeballs that burst when you poke them. Haha, so fun!
…
Sigh, why am I tired again? Forget it, I will sleep a bit more.
…
I checked the time on the clock. I cannot remember what day it is anymore. I asked Little Black, and he said it is only the sixth day. Is that true?
But I have already slept twice. Has only one day passed?
Something feels wrong. Is a day really 24 hours long?
…
I am full of energy now! I was having a great time playing with the rope when I suddenly felt like someone was outside. It seemed to be ‘Mother'.
Sure enough, a moment later, her voice rang out from beyond the door. Awesome, ‘Mother' is back.
But just then, Little Black picked me up. He said it was only the sixth day, meaning the one outside was a fake ‘Mother'.
I tried my hardest to think. It seemed she did tell me something like that. Right, the one outside must be a fake.
After knocking on the door for a while, the fake ‘Mother' left. I went back to playing with the rope.
…
So, is today really the sixth day?
…
That was such a comfortable sleep. Just when I was playing happily, the door was suddenly thrown open. ‘Mother' was back! Little Black threw himself into her arms, and she hugged him with doting affection.
I wanted a hug too! I spun in circles out of sheer anxiety. Seeing this, ‘Mother' rubbed my head and said fondly:
“Da Huang, Mother missed you so much too!”
…
A frantic bout of barking jolted Jiang Ming out of his deep immersion in the story.
Shock filled his eyes. Although he had anticipated this outcome, personally experiencing a living, breathing human transforming into a dog through a silent and insidious process was utterly terrifying.
He flipped to the next page of the notebook, only to find it completely blank. This indicated he had just read the entirety of the final three days.
But why did it not label the sixth and seventh days like it had previously done?
Was it exactly as the author claimed? He had lost all perception of time and could no longer distinguish the passing days.
Moreover, had those tentacles, eyeballs, and other aberrations always been present in this apartment?
Was he simply unable to perceive them?
The mere thought sent phantom sensations of writhing tentacles crawling over his skin. Utterly repulsive.
He instantly shut down that train of thought and reviewed the final entry. Da Huang. Was that not the name of the Labrador mentioned in the rule sets?
Meaning, the current dog was actually the former Xiao Jiang?
Then what about Little Black? Did he not become ‘Mother's' child? Where did he disappear to?
Furthermore, two specific sentences deeply intrigued Jiang Ming:
“Is a day really 24 hours long?”
“Is today really the sixth day?”
By that point, Xiao Jiang had practically become a canine without realising it, his cognitive processes aligning with those of a beast.
Only these two sentences broke the pattern. Like a sudden flare of terminal lucidity, they showcased genuine human cognition.
Thus, Jiang Ming felt these words were absolutely crucial. Back at the very beginning, the mechanical voice had also stressed the supreme importance of time. What was the hidden meaning behind these two questions?
He pondered silently for a long while but gained no new insights. Eventually, he consolidated the timeline of the story.
Did this mean the narrative was simply about Xiao Jiang suffering cognitive collapse due to temporal chaos and rule violations, ultimately failing to survive until the seventh day for ‘Mother' to return?
Was it truly that straightforward?
Regarding the two ‘Mothers' that appeared at the end of the story, was the first one genuinely a fake and the second one real?
What if the first one had been real, and the second one was the imposter?
“Woof! Woof!”
Right as Jiang Ming delved deep into his thoughts, another burst of barking derailed his focus.
He deliberated for a brief second before carefully cracking open the bedroom door. Seeing no anomalies in the living room, he stepped out.
He then approached the storage room. Inside, a half-bald yellow dog paced back and forth in severe agitation. The floor was littered with clumps of fur, and its feeding bowl still contained a half-eaten portion of dog food.